{"id":4976,"date":"2026-05-21T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/?p=2101"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:08:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T12:08:37","slug":"mlb_team_rankings_1970s_15_11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/05\/21\/mlb_team_rankings_1970s_15_11\/","title":{"rendered":"1970s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 15 through 11"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welcome to the second countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 1970s. Expansion continued in the 1970s, with four new teams added for the 1977 season, adding to the four that started play in the 1969 season. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate WAR162. For the 1970s (1970-1979), a total of 252 team-seasons were eligible, so the top 20 teams are a rather exclusive group &#8211; the top 8% for the decade. We&#8217;ll summarize each team, including portions of their team dashboard, and explain how they attained their ranking. So, without further ado, here are the teams ranked #15 through #11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s the interactive dashboard at Tableau Public: <a href=\"https:\/\/public.tableau.com\/views\/Top20MLBTeams1970-1979\/Dashboard1?:language=en-US&amp;publish=yes&amp;:sid=&amp;:redirect=auth&amp;:display_count=n&amp;:origin=viz_share_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1970s Top 20 MLB Teams Dashboard<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b0f530bf19ab329a5a4fde7a959a860d\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#15: 1975 Baltimore Orioles, 52.5 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1975 Orioles finished second in the AL East, 5 games behind the Red Sox. The Orioles may have been better than their record, as their Pythagorean win projection was 95, 5 games above their actual result.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"266\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-66-1024x266.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5087\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.849899742194214;width:704px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-66-1024x266.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-66-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-66-768x199.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-66.png 1414w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Orioles had a mediocre offense, even given Memorial Stadium&#8217;s pitching-friendly confines in 1975. The Birds ranked below league average in most key offensive categories, relying on pitching and defense to carry the team. Their pitching staff led the AL in ERA, shutouts, and WHIP, while their defense featured four Gold Glove winners.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-67-1024x595.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5089\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7210359509555975;width:716px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-67-1024x595.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-67-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-67-768x446.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-67.png 1428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/grichbo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Bobby Grich<\/a> had perhaps the best season of his long career, with a .389 OBP (with 107 walks), 81 runs scored, and Gold Glove defense. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/singlke01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Ken Singleton<\/a> batted .300 with a .415 OBP (with 115 walks) and 88 runs scored, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/belanma01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Mark Belanger<\/a> coupled Gold Glove defense with 16 steals. On the mound, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/y\/youngcy01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Cy Young<\/a> winner <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/palmeji01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Jim Palmer<\/a> posted a 23-11 record, 2.09 ERA, and 10 shutouts, all AL-best numbers. His primary support came from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/torremi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Mike Torrez<\/a> (20-9 record).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bff08ee18ca106976d25a1989d532677\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#14: 1977 Kansas City Royals, 52.5 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Royals experienced quick success by expansion standards, with the 1977 team rating as their best team of the 1970s. Kansas City&#8217;s 102 wins were enough to win the AL West by 8 games. Unfortunately, their season ended with a 5-game loss to the Yankees in the ALCS.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"269\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-68-1024x269.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5090\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.806826228579521;width:706px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-68-1024x269.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-68-300x79.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-68-768x202.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-68.png 1428w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Royals&#8217; 822 runs ranked 5th in the 14-team AL, and they led the league in both doubles and triples. Their offense also ranked 5th in BA and 4th in OPS. The pitching staff produced some excellent results, ranking first in ERA, second in WHIP, and third in strikeout-to-walk rate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"599\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-69-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5091\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7095430406716061;width:706px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-69-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-69-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-69-768x449.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-69.png 1423w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brettge01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">George Brett<\/a> was the offensive leader at age 24, with a .312 BA, 22 homers, 88 RBI, and 13 triples. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/cowenal01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Al Cowens<\/a> also batted .312, and launched 23 home runs with 112 RBI. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcraeha01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Hal McRae<\/a> batted .298 with an AL-best 54 doubles. Dennis Leonard had an outstanding season on the mound, with a 20-12 record and 5 shutouts. He was backed up by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/splitpa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Paul Splittorff<\/a> (16-6) and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/colboji01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Jim Colborn<\/a> (18-14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-54af8ab7a016e76128eb743eed7c23ad\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#13: 1972 Oakland Athletics, 52.6 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1972 Athletics became the first of three consecutive AL pennant winners and World Series champs from Oakland. The A&#8217;s outlasted the White Sox by 5.5 games in a strike-shortened season, then beat the Tigers in a 5-game ALCS win, and the Reds in a 7-game World Series triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-70-1024x267.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5093\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.8353427980309625;width:726px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-70-1024x267.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-70-300x78.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-70-768x200.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-70.png 1415w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Oakland club didn&#8217;t overwhelm teams offensively, ranking second in runs, first in home runs, sixth in BA and OPS, and fourth in OPS, playing home games in the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum. The Athletics&#8217; pitching staff was quite effective, ranking second in ERA, WHIP, and strikeout-to-walk rate, while topping the league with 23 shutouts.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-71-1024x595.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5095\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7210359509555975;width:692px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-71-1024x595.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-71-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-71-768x446.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-71.png 1426w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rudijo01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Joe Rudi<\/a> led the way for the A&#8217;s with a .305 BA, 19 home runs, 75 RBI, and 94 runs scored. He was followed closely by a cluster of teammates &#8211; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jacksre01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Reggie Jackson<\/a> (25 homers, 75 RBI), <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bandosa01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Sal Bando<\/a> (78 walks, 77 RBI), <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/e\/epstemi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Mike Epstein<\/a> (26 homers, 70 RBI), and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/campabe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Bert Campaneris<\/a> (AL-best 52 steals). <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hunteca01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Catfish Hunter<\/a> led the pitching staff with a 21-7 record and 2.04 ERA, followed by left-hander <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/holtzke01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Ken Holtzman<\/a> (19-11, 2.51 ERA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c4f0732b566c0afb74dea2d7dba6f934\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#12: 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers, 53.0 WAR162<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 1977 Dodgers returned to the top of the NL West after two years of domination by the Reds, topping Cincinnati by 10 games. They went on to beat the Phillies in a 4-game NLCS before falling in a 6-game World Series to the Yankees. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"264\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-74-1024x264.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5098\" style=\"width:704px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-74-1024x264.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-74-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-74-768x198.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-74.png 1424w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dodgers had a capable offense in 1977, finishing 3rd in runs, 1st in homers, 5th in BA, and 3rd in both OBP and OPS. Pitching is what separated the team from the competition, as the Dodgers led the NL in ERA, WHIP, fewest walks, and best strikeout-to-walk rate.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-75-1024x595.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5099\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.7210359509555975;width:688px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-75-1024x595.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-75-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-75-768x446.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-75.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithre06.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Reggie Smith<\/a> had a fine season for Los Angeles, with a .307 BA, NL-best .427 OBP, 32 homers, 87 RBI, and 104 runs scored. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lopesda01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Davey Lopes<\/a> stole 47 bases and batted .283, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/ceyro01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Ron Cey<\/a> mashed 30 home runs with 110 RBI, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garvest01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Steve Garvey<\/a> batted .297  with 33 homers, 115 RBI, and a Gold Glove Award at first base. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/bakerdu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Dusty Baker<\/a> rounded out the Dodgers diversified offense with a .291 BA and 30 homers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-21bf181c8a5f15eaaac14eb5dce5df42\" style=\"color:#2a35ff\">#11: 1976 Philadelphia Phillies, 53.3 WAR<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">The <\/mark>1976 Phillies rose to the top of the NL East after decades of frequent mediocrity. 1976 was the Phillies&#8217; first time atop the standings since the 1950 Whiz Kids pennant winners. Unfortunately, they couldn&#8217;t get past a powerful Reds team, getting swept in a 3-game NLCS.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"262\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-78-1024x262.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5130\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3.908681110949542;width:690px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-78-1024x262.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-78-300x77.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-78-768x197.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-78.png 1424w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Phillies had a potent offense that trailed only the Reds in most major categories &#8211; runs, home runs, BA, OBP, OPS, and doubles. Pitching was also a relative strength, with 2nd-place rankings in WHIP, strikeout-to-walk rate, and strikeouts. The Phillies&#8217; staff issued the fewest walks in the NL, and also ranked 3rd in ERA.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"603\" src=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-77-1024x603.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5101\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.6982026092175506;width:696px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-77-1024x603.png 1024w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-77-300x177.png 300w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-77-768x452.png 768w, https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-77.png 1417w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Third Baseman <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/schmimi01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Mike Schmidt<\/a> powered the Phillies at the plate and in the field, belting 38 home runs with 107 RBI, 112 runs scored, 100 walks, and a Gold Glove Award. Center fielder <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/maddoga01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Garry Maddox<\/a> was another Gold Glove recipient, and batted .330 with 37 doubles and 29 stolen bases. <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/j\/johnsja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Jay Johnstone<\/a> batted .318 with 38 doubles to round out the Phillies&#8217; top WAR producers. Veteran lefty <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/carltst01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Steve Carlton<\/a> had a typically fine season, posting a 20-7 record. Carlton was supported by another pair of veterans in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lonboji01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Jim Lonborg<\/a> (age 34, 18-10 record) and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kaatji01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=visual-baseball.com&amp;utm_campaign=2026-05-19_br\">Jim Kaat<\/a> (age 37, 12 wins, Gold Glove award).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s it for the second entry in our MLB Team Rankings for the 1970s decade! Stay tuned for the countdown from #10 to #6, arriving in a few days. As always, thanks for reading!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the second countdown post in our series of MLB team rankings for the 1970s. Expansion continued in the 1970s, with four new teams added for the 1977 season, adding to the four that started play in the 1969 season. As a reminder, the teams are ranked from #20 through #1 based on aggregate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[74,41,66,47,64],"class_list":["post-4976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dashboards","tag-1970s","tag-mlb-statistics","tag-rankings","tag-team-war","tag-war162"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>1970s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 15 through 11 - Visual-Baseball<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"View a countdown through our MLB Team Rankings for the 1970s decade, with teams 15-11 featured in this post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/visual-baseball.com\/wordpress\/2026\/05\/21\/mlb_team_rankings_1970s_15_11\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"1970s MLB Team Rankings Countdown: 15 through 11 - 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